Whatever one might think about the merits of beauty competitions like Miss Universe, many, many people take them seriously, not least the contestants from each participating nation. The format is one of round-by-round elimination, leaving just three finalists, which this year were Miss Colombia, Miss Philippines, and Miss USA.

Miss USA was announced as the second runner up, leaving just two. There is always the problem in such cases as to what one should do next. When just two people are left, if you announce the first runner-up, then the other person is obviously the winner and her announcement becomes an anti-climax because people have already cheered for her. If you first announce the winner to great fanfare, then the first runner-up gets no attention at all, even less than the second runner-up. Usually, announcers go with the first option.

But this must have been going through mind of the evening’s host Steve Harvey because he ended up doing the worst of both worlds when, after allowing for the build up of suspense, he mistakenly announced the first runner up Miss Colombia as the winner, when the real winner was Miss Philippines. After all the celebrations had died down somewhat, he had to come back on and make the correction.

Watch the whole cringe-inducing fiasco.

The person I feel badly for is Miss Colombia. Imagine the emotional roller-coaster of working so hard for something, thinking you have finally won it, basking in the adulation, and then having your dreams dashed at the last minute. She seemed to take it graciously, though, even as her winner’s tiara and sash were taken away.

So who is this Harvey guy who messed up in grand style? He is an all purpose horror show with appalling opinions on all manner of things including being a sexist, thinks atheists are idiots, and that evolution is false because of that brilliant and unanswerable old argument, “If we evolved from monkeys, why we still got monkeys?” Answer that, smartypants biologists!

So perhaps we should not be surprised that this genius could not understand the simple instructions on the card announcing the winners. Miss Colombia should have beaned him with her bouquet.